Chicken Pesto Pasta with Spinach

It's interesting how sometimes things just fall together. Yesterday afternoon I was staring at some defrosted chicken breasts, not knowing what to do with them for dinner. I put them in a skillet to cook and then rummaged through my cupboards and my fridge, looking for things to add. Well, once it was done, I was happy to hear the "Mmm's" of my family while they were eating it. And you know how honest your kids can be. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “Mom, what are those black things? I don’t like black things.”

This quick, seat-of-my-pants dish was so easy, healthful and well received that I shared a photo in my newsfeeds. Because there were so many comments asking for the recipe (which is embarrassingly easy), I decided to share it with all of you. I have three “hefty” eaters in my home, along with me and my daughter, so I make camp-sized meals. If you want to cut the ingredients in half, it should work well, too.

5 chicken breasts 1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil 1 medium bag fresh spinach ¾ cup pesto (homemade or in a jar) 6 plum tomatoes, diced and seeded 1 bag rice pasta – orzo

Sautee chicken in oil in a skillet on medium temperature. In a saucepan, boil water for pasta and cook according to directions on package. Once chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and cut it into chunks. Add chicken to pan again and add pesto sauce and spinach. Cook on medium to medium-low, stirring occasionally until spinach is wilted. Add tomatoes and cover for a few minutes so they can cook down.

When the pasta is done cooking, pour it into a strainer and run hot water through it. This removes some of the extra starch that makes rice pasta sticky. Add pasta to skillet, stir well and serve. Feeds 6 hearty eaters.